The Winning Pony and the Templar

Silence ruled the living room of the mare. After his two bits, Garret merely pulled out a smoke, and settled into a stubborn silence, while Cloudkicker sat next to him, infuriated at the humans gall. For a few moments, she considered bucking the male out of her apartment and out of her life, but with a snort, she merely looked away from the human to the floor. Minutes passed, and her anger morphed into a sick sadness in the pit of her stomach. Wings going slightly limp in her misery, the pony became lost in her thoughts

Before tonight, Cloudkicker never talked about Derpy. At all. After her lovers death, a event that easily equaled, and may very well surpassed the death of her mother, the pegasi entered perhaps the darkest moment of her life. Despite her outward strutting, inside, Cloudkicker had basically shut down. And when Sparks and Dink’s needed her most, she had abandoned them. Rainbow Dash had gotten her shit together thankfully, and proved a superb parent. Not that I noticed though, Cloudkicker amended in her head. Her frown deepened as she remembered sitting on this same couch she was on now, a brown bottle of pills in hoof, wanting it all to end…

“Cloud…”

The mare jumped slightly, and wiped her cheek. Looking at the slightly damp fur of a foreleg, she realized she’d been crying.Tapping the end of his smoke into his now empty glass, Garret continued.

“I’m sorry I made you cry. I meant what I said, and still believe it, but… I shouldn’t have dug into you like that.”

Sniffing, Cloud wiped her snout.

“Its ok… but is it all right if I change the subject?”

“Fair enough…”

Sniffing again, Cloudkicker leaned back against the couch, flopping her head back as she crossed her forelegs across her chest. Puckering her muzzle, she considered her options. Slowly, her muzzle lost its scrunched up look, but her eyes narrowed.

“You know my dad’s in town right?”

“Yes…”

She looked over at the human, and putting out his smoke, Garret looked back.

“It’s just… he seems pretty chummy with that Atticus, you know?”

“Well, Tornado is his commander…”

The lavender coated mare shook her head.

“Its more than that… When my dad thought no one was looking, I saw him looking at Atticus with this weird expression.”

“What… you think he’s sweet on him or something?”

“Celestia’s sake, my dad? I don’t think he’s ever been really smitten with anyone, least of all another… male…” slowly a look of horrified comprehension came over Cloudkicker’s muzzle, and her misery was in an instant doubled. Groaning, she face hoofed.

“What?”

“A lot of my foalhood just made an awful lot of sense!”

……………………………………………………………

A recent staple of the human culture came about within the couple of months before the raid on the first settlement. Before the raid, numerous equine nobles and entreapaneurs endeavored to remove humanity entirely from Equestria, either through threats, financial undermining, political double talk, or legal meandering and chicanery. Mostly these efforts were ignored by both the humans and the Diarchy, however, some of the more tenacious and persistent equines were displayed in a black faux leather journal, which was passed out among almost all the human populace.

The bingo book.

Once labeled as a threat, and placed in the tome, equines often found themselves confronted with humans who two minutes ago speaking perfect Equestrian, suddenly reverting into the ancient human tongue, unable to understand anything the pony was saying. Of course, this behavior tended towards civilians. Currently active, or inactive or former members of the humans army treated the book with an almost reverence, once seeing the pony matching up, would lock their steely gaze upon them until they left their town, and even among the farmers and business owners, the pages were memorized, and the second one of that pictures was matched, word was sent to every soldier. These channels were doubled and tightened after the raid.

And that was why a young human male jogged into the café, and tugged on Atticus shirt. As the human knelt, the boy stood on tip toes, and cupped his hand over the adults ear. After a moment of quick whispers, Atticus’s features hardened somewhat, and as the child ran back out of the café, Atticus rose, and turned to a curious Tornadokicker.

“Sir, we have a problem.”

……………………………………………………………………………….

Captain Wind, or Aunt Wind as she was known to a certain local playmare, regarded the humans wandering about their work, or staring at her with arms crossed, an expression of what she wrongfully assumed was fear across their features. Savages, she thought. Creatures like this could never see reason, could only understand dominance or a whip across their backs. A whole village burned to the ground, and despite the Royalty and human republic making it look like a bandit raid, the message should have been clear that they were not welcome. Sadly, most of her comrades, good honest Celestia loving soldiers thank you very much, did not see the humans as worthy of their attention. And the very idea of such things being placed in Wind’s beloved Guard, serving as equals in it, was enough to make the mare want to rip out her own pinions in frustration.

Speaking of frustration… eyes burning with contempt, she regarded the stallion who trotted up to her, its pet human in tow.

“Tornado.”

The stallion nodded.

“Wind.”

Smiling sweetly, the mare said, “Traitor.”

Keeping his stoic guard face, the stallion retorted, “Bench.”

Outwardly still smiling, Wind instantly seethed inside. A bench, the slur similar, though worse then the humans cunt or whore, basically meant the female in question was easy, good for only breeding or as a bedroom toy. Sweet smile still in place, she replied cooly “I think you’ve been too long amongst the humans my dear.”

Closing his eyes, Tornado inhaled deeply, then at the exhale, opened his eyes again, gazing sternly at Wind.

“What do you want Captain?”

“Straight to the point as always. As I understand it, young Cloudy has become friends with a ex-templar named Garret. You and I both know who this man is, what he did, and why the clan is… concerned with this situation.”

At this, Tornado flicked an ear, and grimaced.

“I fail, captain, to see how any relationship my daughter has is any of the clans business.”

Shaking her head sadly, Wind tsked.

“Once again, Tornado, you let your feelings cloud your judgement. In any case, I have no feud with Cloudkicker, I’m just here to visit a friend in the hospital.”

Tornadokicker regarded Wind a moment, then spat, “Fine.”

He bared his teeth as he walked forward.

“Just so we’re clear though…” to her credit, Wind didn’t back down as the stallion walked up, and towered over the smaller equine. But she was forced to take a couple of steps back when a hoof pressed to her front and pushed her back, and Tornadokicker snarled, “Nobody messes with my foal. Get it?”

…………………………………………………………………

Wind trudged through the woods, head low, wings dragging. She wouldn’t weep, not there. Not in front of her fellow pony’s, and definitely not in front of the savages. Show no fear, no weakness. She snorted as her sergeants words echoed through her head. She might be a soldier, but her friend was dead, and all she wanted to do now was weep.  Suddenly, she felt herself under someones shadow. Looking up, she gazed at the stone carving.

Eyes wide with all her malice and hate, Nightmare Moon glared down at the pegasi. Undaunted, Wind sat down in front of the testament to the princesses past, and tilted her head. It was hard to imagine that Luna she knew was at one time was that monster. Looking back down, Wind clenched her eyes shut. Her entire frame shook as her tears leaked out.

“Captain.”

Gasping, Wind leapt to her feet in a blur of movement. Whipping around, wings flared out in a combat pose, she looked towards the source of the voice. Her features tightened when she saw it was Tornado’s pet human. Snorting, she folded her wings to her side again, though her muzzle retained its angry expression.

“Is there something wrong…” she grimaced further, and spat out the next word as though its presence in her muzzle was disgusting, “…Lieutenant. “

“No ma’am. I was concerned though for your safety.”

Wind regarded Atticus a moment, then with a sigh, turned back to the statue. Regarding it a moment, she said, in a somewhat nicer tone then she did when she first turned, “I’m fine, Lieutenant. I apologize.”

The human walked up next to the mare, and though she tensed somewhat with his proximity, she made no efforts to stop him.

“For what, ma’am?”

“For… my behavior in town, and right now.” Seeing the human about to protest, she raised a forehoof to stop his words.

“I don’t apologize, or at least I haven’t for awhile. Just take it.”

Atticus nodded, and looked back to the statue. For a moment, the two stood in silence.

“Is there… something else Lieutenant.”

“Yes captain. Why? When I saw you before, you were glaring at everyone of my people as though they did something too you. And though at the time we hadn’t spoken, I was worried I had done something to offend you.”

The mare looked up at the human out of the corner a moment, then said, “My friend commited suicide today.”

Atticus looked down.

“I’m sorry. Sadly, that’s a more common thing in our line of work then it should be.”

Wind shook her head.

“She… she didn’t kill herself because of fatigue or ptsd, Lieutenant…” the pony’s shuddered, “She was raped…” seeing the human cover his mouth, she turned her head to look up at him again.

“By three of your people.”

The human looked away from the equines gaze, and whispered, “I’m… I’m so sorry ma’am. How… how could she... hurt herself though? Wasn’t she in the hospital?”

Snorting, Wind rose of her hindquarters, and dusted the leaves and debris with her tail.

“For all the good it did. Useless doctors and nurses…” she turned and began to walk away. “But they aren’t the ones I blame.” And with that, the pony left the human alone.